KigoLynn's Debut
by Shego2Drakken
Summary: New Chap UP! Please Review! The final battle begins...
1. Afterthoughts of A Reminiscent Rodent

_Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,   
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,   
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,   
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.   
"Tis a visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door.   
Only this, and nothing more."   
  
Ah, distinctly I remember, it was the first of September,   
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.   
Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to settle   
From my books surcease of sorrow, sorrow for Kim Possible.   
For the radiant maiden whom the angels name Kim Possible,   
Nameless here, unchangeable.   
  
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each fabric curtain   
Thrilled me, filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;   
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating   
"'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door —   
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; —   
This it is, and nothing more."_   
Edgar Allen Poe - The Raven (Okay, sort of. I edited the lines a _little.)   
______________________________________________________________________________________________   
  
_

It was late night at the Possible household, almost midnight. Mr. and Mrs. Possible were asleep in their beds, reliving days and their adventures gone by. Jim and Tim were asleep in their bed, dreaming of the mischief the morrow would bring. rons_gurl was sleeping on the couch in front of the fireplace, sleeping dreamlessly. However, not all was right, for two members of the household were still awake . . .   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  


Ratigan was sitting on the bed in Kim's old room. Almost instinctively, he raised a finger, and started to trace a pattern in the darkness, and as Ratigan traced it, the shape and outline of Kim Possible slowly formed in the darkness, a light neon green shining in the darkness.   
  


"_Why can't I get her out of my mind?_", Ratigan asked himself. "_I know she's been dead for several months, but I still can't shake the theory that she might still be alive._" He pondered the thought, then mentally slapped himself.   
  


"_You're dreaming. You saw Kim's body. You saw her **die**. But why do you still think that she might still be alive?_" He had finished tracing the outline of Kim Possible by now, and he stared at it for a moment, recollecting an old bit of wisdom Basil had said once ,"_When logic and reasoning fail you, always trust your instincts._" Perhaps it was time to take this advice at hand and _use_ it . . .   
  


Suddenly, the window opened up, the wind blowing in, causing the picture to waver and fade away to nothingness. Ratigan sighed, then got up and walked out the doorway. He gingerly stepped down the hallway towards the picture of Kim that her parents had hung up as a memoriam to her. "Why do you still haunt me, Kim? Why?", he asked the picture. Suddenly, a hand tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to wheel around to face . . . . Veeken.   
  


"Are you okay?", she asked, her fear evident.   
  


"Yes, I'm . . . fine", he replied, his voice unsteady.   
  


Veeken turned to the picture, sighed, and then turned to Ratigan. "She's been dead for several months now."   
  


"I know", Ratigan replied. "You wouldn't understand, Veeken. To you, she was like a friend, but to me . . . ", he left off, unable to continue. It still hurt, even though time was supposedly able to heal all wounds. Kim was more like a step-daughter to Ratigan than any of them ever knew up until after she died.   
  


Veeken noted Ratigan's somber look. Ratigan had been like this most of the time since Kim had died, because he blamed himself partially for Kim's death. "Well," she said finally, "I'm going downstairs and try to get some sleep." She headed towards the stairs, then briefly turned back to Ratigan. "Are you sure you're okay?", she reiterated.   
  


"Yeah.", Ratigan replied a monotone. "_This **is** serious._" Veeken thought. "_As long as I've known him, he's rarely said "Yeah". It was usually "Yes"._" She turned back to the staircase, only stopping to say "Good night, dad."   
  


"You too.", Ratigan replied. When Veeken had disappeared from sight, he walked back into Kim's former room, walking over to the window. He opened it slowly, staring up into space. The sky was a dark blue, with a rare few stars scattered across the vast space. A fresh surge of pain welled up inside his chest, not unlike the one he felt when he saw Kim's picture.   
  


"**_You said you'd always be there for me!_**", he exclaimed to the stars, as if trying to summon Kim back from the dead. "But you're not . . . And it's because of _me_ . . . It's my fault . . . It's my fault . . .", he trailed off, choking back sobs.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
            The Possible household was as normal a household as all the rest. But, as Basil approached, his ears identified a sound that caused the house to stand out from the others. It was a low sobbing of pain and anguish. "_Too deep to be any of the Possible household, but it isn't rons_gurl or Veeken._", he thought. "_So that leaves only . . . Oh, God._"   
  
            He looked up towards Kim's old room, where the sound seemed to be coming from, and saw the silhouette of Ratigan, sitting on the bed, crying; mourning for Kim, his form shaking from the sobs. As Basil took all this in, he felt a single tear trickle down his face . . .


	2. Ronald the Naked Mole Rat

Note: [#] denotes a, well, note that I feel would mess with the flow of the chapter, so I'll say it at the end of the chapter.  

By the next morning, Ratigan had fallen asleep on Kim's abandoned divan, and was probably going to sleep all day, dreaming of adventures with Kim long past, when a familiar beeping permeated the once tragic, yet tranquil atmosphere, waking Ratigan from his tortured reverie. Walking over to the sound of the repetitive beeping, which was the top dresser drawer, and after digging through her various long-unused cargoes and pants, pulled out the Kimmunicator, long since useless to Kim.

Pushing the button, he said "You'd better be worth it for getting me up at-" before realizing he was complaining to Wade, Kim Possible's webmaster friend. He just hoped that Wade had woken him at an early enough time so he wouldn't feel too much like a heel. "So, um, what's the sitch, Wade?", he asked sheepishly, trying to make up for the whining.

"Oh, hey, Ratigan", Wade said, obvious ignoring the previous carping and kissing-up. "D'you wanna chat?"

Ratigan knew Wade was trying to snap him out of the dark blue funk that had lurked inside him like a deep haze[1] ever since Kim died, but decided to keep his arrogant, humorous personality presented at all times to avoid making Wade suspect he was really falling apart at the seams. "I don't know", he said, aloof as he usually would be. "I _think_ I might be able to take time out of my busy schedule to chat for a minute or two."

"And what would that schedule be?", Wade inquired, before adding "And don't try that '_faking confidence_' thing. I had to deal with it enough with Ron a few minutes ago, so I kinda think I've earned the right to not have to deal with that from anyone else."[2]

"Oh, you know: Lazing around, annoying Ron or anyone in my vicinity, missing Kim, sleeping, coming up with plots to make my life a little more interesting, eating fine cuisine . .", he listed off-hand.

Wade couldn't resist a crack at the former World's Greatest Criminal Mind. "Bueno Nacho?", he inquired.

Ratigan started to develop a slight reddish hue to his face that, at first glance, would have been attributed to anger by anyone, but after a moment's thought and the fact that his smile practically **_screamed_** "embarrassed", would they realize that the reddish hue was, in truth, attributed to embarrassment. "They're _still_ looking for the person who stole the last seven Grande-Sized naco platters", he admitted with a modest chuckle, which was unusual for him.

Wade was amazed and a little disgusted to say the least. "Now that's what I call stress-eating."

Ratigan chuckled. "Yeah, I was sick for a week."

"This might explain the general lack of the other flu symptoms, then.", Wade commented. "So, how's it going on your half of the world?"

"Oh, you know, same as usual. You should have been there when Bonnie said her goodbye at Kim's funeral. Of all the people to respond like that, I never would have believed it to be Bonnie."[3]

"Yeah, I know", Wade said, smirking. "But, other than that, is everything diamond?"

Ratigan sighed. Despite Wade's reputation to be a bit of a pain, he was helpful in times of crisis. "Not really."

Wade shook his head. "Listen, Ratigan, I know you're torn up over Kim's death, but there's nothing you can do now short of traveling back in time, but you'd run the risk of altering the course of time."

"I _know. I've been hearing that ever since she died, but I still can't shake this strange feeling…"_

"What kind of feeling?", Wade asked.

"You probably know what I'm talking about. That weird feeling that not all the pieces fit into this puzzle. Put in the terms of the common man, 'Something is rotten in Denmark'."

"Well, it does seem kind of freaky", Wade admitted. If you must know, I picked up a strange energy reading from Dementor's European lair."

"That is weird", Ratigan said. "I thought all Dementor's things were deactivated and/or destroyed."

"That's what I thought, too. Anyway, I'll get back to you on that, 'kay?"

"Very well, Wade", Ratigan said, deactivating the Kimmunicator.

"Ratigan", a voice said that appeared to come from everywhere, and yet from nowhere. "Ratigan?", the voice reiterated. It was Ron.

"Ron?", Ratigan asked. "Where are you?"

"Down here", the voice replied. Ratigan looked down. There was a naked mole rat by his feet.

"Very funny-", he started to cajole the naked mole rat, when an annoyed squeak was heard by the level of the dresser. He looked up, and there he was. "Rufus? But who-?"

"I told you, it's me. Ron." Houston, we have a problem.

*          ~         *         ~                    *          ~          *

1: A synonym for "fog" the option showed was miasma, which I've _never_ heard used before. Don't you just love Microsoft Word?  
2: Those who read Get Fuzzy will recognize this as a parody of one of its lines. Those who don't, well, you need to find the book "The Dog Is Not A Toy" for details.

3: I just had to add this, Rocinante. Please don't hurt me!


	3. Possible? Kim Possible

Kate Lawrence: I'm not going to say what happens later. I won't go into details, but Kim isn't really dead.

            "Ron?", Ratigan asked, picking up the once-human, now naked mole rat.

            "Who do you think it is? Jabba the Hutt?!", Ron exclaimed.

            "How'd you get turned into a naked mole rat?"

            "Well…", Ron said, trailing off, his paws behind his back. "It's a long story…"

            "Tell me. Trust me, I'm not really going anywhere", Ratigan replied.

            "Well, Wade told me about the strange energy signals coming from Dementor's abandoned lair, and I went to investigate."

            "Without us?", Ratigan inquired. That was _so_ unlike Ron. To say he was a little astonished would be like saying Kim was a little obsessed with fashion or Bonnie was a bit of a snob.

            "Yeah, I know. Well, when I got there, I snuck in, but Dementor found me and locked me up. When I tried to escape, he, well…"

            "Turned you into the Poster Boy for furless pets everywhere?"

            "Well, at least we escaped. Now, are you gonna turn me back or not?"

            "Um, Ron? There's something I should tell you before-."

            "Ratigan, I don't intend to spend the rest of my life like a living hot dog."

            "Oh, well. But don't say I didn't warn you", he said, placing the naked mole rat that was Ron on Kim's bed. He snapped his fingers, and the next moment, the naked mole rat was replaced by a very human, but still naked Ron Stoppable. Ratigan blinked, holding back the flood of laughter. Of course, this meant he ended up looking really weird in the process, but that was just a minor setback.

            "What?", Ron asked, noticing Ratigan stifling his laughter. Suddenly, Rufus fell over laughing. "Rufus! What's so funny?!"

            "Um, Ron? The thing is, well, you're…"

            Just then, Ron looked down. "**_AAAHHH_**!!! I'm naked!"

            Ratigan doubled over laughing. "I warned you!", he said, wiping away a tear. "My powers can return someone to their original state. It just doesn't put the clothes back on your body."

            "Very funny", Ron commented. Just then, he noticed that his clothes were sitting on the bed. "Well, at least they're not _permanently_ gone."

            Once he had gotten his clothes on, Ratigan turned towards the Kimmunicator. "I'm going to contact Wade."

            "What?", Ron exclaimed. "Don't you trust me?"

            "Ron, sometimes, I can only trust you as far as I can throw you. And, although that's pretty far, I think this might be one of those times."

            "Fine", Ron said in a monotone. "Are you sure?"

            "I don't know", Ratigan replied. "But I can't take that chance."

            Pressing the Kimmunicator's activation button, Wade appeared on-screen.

            "What's the emergency, Ratigan? I only called a few minutes ago."

            "Ron just came here and told me you told him about the anomalies before me. Is this true?", Ratigan asked.

            "Actually, yes", Wade replied. "What up?"

            Ratigan turned to Ron. "Why did he turn you into a naked mole rat?"

            "It's because I saw something I wasn't supposed to, or some_one."_

            "Who?!", Ratigan exclaimed, grabbing Ron's shoulders. "Who did you see?!"

            "I saw this weird hibernation-tank thingy, and inside I saw…"

            "Who? Who did you see?!"

            "I saw Kim Possible!"

Ratigan was agape with amazement. "_Kim…"_

To Be Continued…

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~


	4. The Road Goes Ever On And On

Ratigan stared at Ron before finally saying "No. _Way_. **In**. **_Hell_**."  
  
"What?", Ron asked, "Don't you trust me?"  
  
"Ron", Ratigan replied, "I believe we've already established that: **_No_**."  
  
"Come on", Ron countered. "Just because something is a bit unbelievable doesn't necessarily mean it's not _true_."  
  
"Well, what if it's a trap?", Ratigan said in argument.  
  
"Oh, come on", Ron sputtered. "How many times has that happened?"  
  
"Six. And I'm not really willing to let it happen again."  
  
"Okay, but what if we brought backup?", Ron inquired.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Ron dashed down the staircase to the lower level of the Possible household. Thankfully, the parents and the Tweebs were out, otherwise conclusions may have been drawn (mostly by Mr. Possible). Ratigan followed him, a bit disgusted at Ron's haste. "Ron, do you really have to hurry?"  
  
"What're we doing waiting for Basil, Veeken, rons_gurl, Drakken, and Shego, when we could do this easily ourselves?", Ron retorted.  
  
"Ron, you imbecillic fool!", Ratigan snapped. "Didn't our previous encounter with Professor Dementor teach you anything? He is a sadistic, psychotic, maniacal villain. And those are his good qualities." He sighed, walking into the kitchen. "No, Ron, I'd prefer handling this knowing I'm not in danger in case _you_ get cold feet."  
  
"Me?", Ron scoffed. "Ron Stoppable get cold feet?! How can you say that? How many times has that happened?"  
  
"So, how can you explain that time we ran into some of those robo-clones in Syd's dimension?"  
  
"..."  
  
"My point exactly", Ratigan said, smiling.  
  
"Ratigan?", a voice asked, but the arguers ignored it.  
  
"Ratigan, those things could punch through solid concrete", Ron retorted.  
  
"Yo, dad?", a decidedly female voice asked.  
  
"No, really, Ron", Ratigan argued in a sarcastic tone. "Remember that two of those Ratigan clones hit me in the stomach. **_Hard_**. Do you know what it's like to see your last meal in full rerun?!"  
  
"Are you asking for a rerun of that rerun?!"  
  
"**_RATIGAN_**!!!", both persons called at once, snapping Ratigan and Ron out of their argument. They both turned around to see Veeken and Basil, who had been there to see the whole argument, while rons_gurl, Drakken, and Shego were sitting around the table.  
  
"Are you through yet?", Shego asked in mock impatience. "Or would you like to finish this little argument you're having?"  
  
'Shego, we were not having an argument", Ron stated, blushing. "We were having a normal discussion on whether or not I get 'cold feet'.", he added, glaring at Ratigan.  
  
"Oh, please!", Shego exclaimed sarcastically. "The day I believe that, that furless rodent of yours will fly."  
  
Ron pulled Rufus out of his pocket, gently tossing him into the air, and catching him again.  
  
Ratigan sighed, turning to Veeken. "What did Wade find about that particular lair?"  
  
Veeken set her Kimmunicator on the table, and the holographic projector showed a 3D model of a old, medieval castle.  
  
"Charming", Drakken mused.  
  
"Right", Ratigan concurred. "If you're Dracula."  
  
"Wade was right about the scans", Shego said. "The energy readings are large, considering the fact that Dementor is supposed to be dead, and most of the stuff was taken."  
  
"Right", Ron said. "So, what are we waiting for?"  
  
"For your sake, Ron", Ratigan said, "I hope you're right. Otherwise it will be your neck", he added, motioning a slice across the throat.  
  
To Be Continued, but here's a preview of the next chapter:  
  
The small group walked into the entrance chamber, looking around for any signs of life. Suddenly the doors slammed shut behind them. "This does not bode well", Basil moaned.  
  
"Hello?", Ron called. "Anyone home?"  
  
"Well, well, well", a shockingly familiar German voice said. "If it isn't Professor Ratigan, Dr. Veeken, Drew Lipsky, Shego, rons_gurl, Sherringford Basil of Baker Street, and Ron Stoppable."  
  
"Hey", Shego whispered to Ron. "He remembered your name." 


	5. Into the Den of the Dementor

  
The group stood in front of Dementor's castle lair an hour later. "I was right", Ratigan mused. "Charming, if you're Dracula."  
  
"Does anyone aside from me find this a bit... odd?", Basil asked.  
  
"What?", Ron asked. "What's so odd?"  
  
"It's been four weeks since Dementor was captured, his lair abandoned, etc, etc. So why is it still in good condition?"  
  
"What's so weird about that?", Ron asked. "Maybe he has maid service?"  
  
  
  
~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
The small group walked into the entrance chamber, looking around for any signs of life. Suddenly the doors slammed shut behind them. "This does not bode well", Basil moaned.   
  
"Hello?", Ron called. "Anyone home?"   
  
"Well, well, well", a shockingly familiar German voice said. "If it isn't Professor Ratigan, Dr. Veeken, Drew Lipsky, Shego, rons_gurl, Sherringford Basil of Baker Street, and Ron Stoppable." Walking down the stairs was Professor Dementor, very much alive.  
  
"Hey", Shego whispered to Ron. "He remembered your name."  
  
"Professor Dementor?", Drakken exclaimed. "You're still alive?! How can that be?!"  
  
"Quite simple, my dear Drakken", Dementor chuckled. "You see, I knew I would be captured in my dealings with the Señors, so I created a copy of myself to seal the deal."  
  
"A clone", Shego whispered.  
  
"You are clever", Dementor said, smiling. "But enough about me. What brings you to my humble abode?"  
  
Ratigan stepped forward. "We came here because Ron told me he had spotted Kim, either a robot or a clone, residing in your lair. Is this true?"  
  
"I do not deny the facts, Ratigan. You see, when I had Kim as my captive, I took a sample of her DNA and made a clone of her to use as my servant. What, were you expecting that, by some faint chance that Kim was still alive and I was hiding her here? How pathetic."  
  
Ratigan's face fell. Dementor smirked, satisfied. "I thought so."  
  
Veeken and Shego started to back off towards the door. This _had_ been a trap, like Ratigan had suspected, and now they had to escape, or they'd be in big trouble. Of course, the doors were locked. "_Dang_", she thought to herself.  
  
"Are you leaving?", Dementor asked with mock-concern. "So soon? I wouldn't hear of it." He snapped his finger, and several goons surronded them. "Take them to the the best guest rooms and lock them in."  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
Basil paced back and forth in the room, trying to think of a way out. "Okay, believe it or not", Ron said nervously, "I did not know this was gonna happen."  
  
Meanwhile, Rufus was pacing back and forth on the floor next to him, squeaking. "No way out. No way out. No way out. No way-."  
  
Veeken picked up Rufus, stifling his last "No way out" with a finger. "Rufus, don't panic. There _is_ a way out. We just need to find it." She removed her finger from Rufus's mouth, and he started to say "No way out", before Veeken's glare cut it off.  
  
Ratigan slumped onto the bed, his head in his hands, the bedsprings clinking slightly under his weight. He looked up. "I have a plan", he said finally. He ripped a hole in the matress, revealing the springs. He pulled one out, and, without a word to the others, started picking the lock with it. A minute later, the door swung open on its own accord.  
  
"Wow", Shego said.  
  
"Yep", Ratigan said, grinning proudly. "I still got it bad."  
  
"_I hope it's not contagious_", Shego thought sarcastically. Out loud, she asked "Which one of us is going to go for help?"  
  
"Not go for help", Ratigan said. "Spy."  
  
"Spy?", Ron asked.  
  
"Dementor's hiding something, I know it", Ratigan said firmly. "Shego, you go."  
  
"The buckle on my belt is a spy-cam. I'll record anything I find that's important", Shego said, darting out the door.  
  
"What are you hiding, Dementor?", Ratigan asked as if he were right in front of him.  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~  
  
Meanwhile, in the security camera room, Dementor smiled wickedly. "Oh, you'll find out", he chuckled meacingly, while the Shego-shaped figure behind him smiled viciously. "And by then, you'll wish you never knew what I've done with your beloved 'Kimmy'..." The girl behind him laughed in a cruel voice. Kim's voice. "_This is going to be _**_so_**_ delicious..._" the creature called Kigo-Lynn thought. (AN: **_Ba-ba-ba-BUM!!!_**)  
  
To Be Continued.....  
  
Ratigan: Who is the person with Dementor? Tune in next time, same Rat show, same Rat channel. (tee-hee)  
  
Me: Shut up. 


	6. The Plot Twists Ever On And On

            Shego slowly crept through the hallways of Dementor's manor/lair. Strangely enough, there was something familiar about this lair, but she couldn't put her finger on it. But how…? She had never been here before… or had she?

            Slinking around the next corner, she stopped herself from a run-in with one of Dementor's guards. He was standing guard in front of a strange, unornamented door. But, in the enigmatic world of crime and thievery, any door could be extraordinarily significant, or extraordinarily lethal. Whatever it was, there was a faint sapphire light leaking out from under the door. Finally, Shego's interest got the better of her, and, a silent pounce that would have made a panther proud later, the guard was dead to the world.

            Shego carefully plucked the key-card off the guard's belt, and slid it into the lock. It opened with an odd hiss, and swung open.

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            Ratigan sighed, sitting on the bed. The "guest room", as Dementor had put it, was actually several smaller chambers, about the same as the number of people who came, grouped into one big one. Ratigan sighed. They'd walked into a trap, and all because of his foolishness…(AN: Cue flashback.)

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            Ratigan stood in the center of the clearing, bathed in the slowly setting sun. But his thoughts were elsewhere, with his newly returned identity…

            _What do you feel_?, his mind asked.

            "_Guilt_", he thought in reply. "_Guilt, and anger, and shame_."

            _Why_?

            "_At first, I thought I was locked up for no justifiable reason, but now_…"

            _But you are free to make your own choices, so you don't necessarily have to go back to the way you were before_.

            "_But how_…"

            "Ratigan?", Kim's voice called.

            "Yo, Ratigan!", Ron's voice next.

            Ratigan turned around to see Kim, Ron, Gemini, and Dr. Director run up to him. "Where were you?", Kim asked, a faint tone of worry in her voice.

            "Well.. thinking, mostly", Ratigan said, and left it at that. The next minute or so was a bit of a blur, and he stared off into space until he was brought back to Earth by the words he didn't expect to hear from Kim.

            "Could you guys excuse us for a few minutes?", she asked.

            "Hey, whatever Ratigan has to say, he can say it in front of us", Ron said, smiling. "Right, guys?"

            Ratigan sighed, smiling sadly. "Maybe you'd better go."

            Ron's jaw dropped. "It starts", he said, resigned. "You _think_ you know a guy…" He turned and walked away, Gemini and Dr. Director following him reluctantly.

            Kim smiled faintly. "Ron Stoppable. You'll get used to him… Eventually…"

            But Ratigan had returned to staring into space. "What?", Kim asked. "What is it?"

            "I don't know…", Ratigan sighed. "A while ago, I was curious about who I was… But now… I don't know."

            "Hey, it's okay", Kim said soothingly. "Besides, you can decide later if you think it was worth the work or not."

            "Thanks." He smiled, placing a hand on Kim's shoulder. "I guess we'd better go find the others and get home." Slowly they walked off…

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            As Ratigan smiled to himself at the fond memory, a thunderbolt cracked somewhere in the distance. It would rain soon enough. But, as another lightning bolt flashed, he suddenly bolted upright in bed. There, standing on the balcony, looking in through the window of the furthermost back room, was **_Kim_**. (AN: Or is it?)

            Ratigan dashed through the double doors onto the balcony where the wind had already began to blow, and rain started to pour. "Kim!", he shouted to no one in particular. It was probably the clone, but something fishy was going on here…

            _Long lost words whisper slowly to me;  
            Still can't find what keeps me here;  
            When all this time, I've been so hollow inside;  
            I know you're still there…_

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            Shego looked around at the lab equipment that Dementor had arranged in the room. Assorted machines and devices that looked like they belonged more in a hospital than in a mad scientist's lair beeped as they measured the physical status of whatever they were attached to, which happened to be a suspended animation chamber. And in that container was-. "Oh, God", Shego groaned.

            It was Kim Possible, still wearing her mission clothes, and not conscious. In fact, there was something scary about the sight, yet vaguely familiar. The computer in the corner was still on, much to Shego's surprise. "_Probably some stupid lackey left it on_...", she thought as she sat in the swivel chair. There was a disk in the slot, so she opened one of the files. It appeared to be a journal…

Kigo-Lynn Project; Day 1: Planning stage. Will manage to perfect emotion extraction/embodiment process, then procure the necessary materials.

Kigo-Lynn Project; Day 4: Have completed perfecting the process mentioned above. Am now planning procuring of necessary materials. Of course, seeing as how I need human emotions for the device to work, I need human beings.

Kigo-Lynn Project; Day 9: Have abducted one of the three required subjects, Adrenna Lynn, and extracted what I need for the device. However, will have to abduct other two with the utmost caution, as Global Justice has been alerted to what has happened.

Kigo-Lynn Project; Day 17: Have now abducted Shego, subject 2 in my project. Kim Possible has now been alerted to my presence, and is coming this way. However, this is good, because I can snare her, for she is subject 3 of 3.

Kigo-Lynn Project; Day 17 (Later that day): Extraction process complete. I will now create Kigo-Lynn, who will assist in my conquest of the world. I have managed to erase the abduction and extraction from Shego and Adrenna Lynn's memories, but there was no time to do the same for Kim. However, I have an interesting plan for her that will put her and that accursed Ratigan out of my hair for good.

Kigo-Lynn Project; Day 20: Kigo-Lynn has officially been created, and everyone thinks Kim is dead (including Ratigan, who thinks very fondly of her). Am pleased with buying used cloning machine, though it cost so much. However, I think there is still some good use for Kigo-Lynn aside from henchmen duties. Perhaps it is time to contact one Ron Stoppable and see if he will pay a visit…

            Shego backed away from the computer as if it had a plague virus. She _had_ wondered what she was doing in Dementor's lair… Snapping out of the daze she had fallen into, Shego used the key card to open the suspended animation booth, which slid from its slanted position on the wall, revealing a strange green button… "Ugh", she groaned, "When will this end…?"

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            Dementor walked down the hall, followed by "Kim", a.k.a Kigo-Lynn. "So", she said in a voice that was a strange mix of Kim's, Shego's, and Adrenna Lynn's , "You think that by Ratigan catching a glimpse of me will break his spirit? It doesn't seem to fit. Besides, I'd like to know how you got Ratigan here in the first place."

            "As you wish, Kigo-Lynn", Dementor said. He opened a door, and switched on a light, revealing a lounge-styled kind of room. There, leaning against a wall by a tapestry, was Ron Stoppable.

            To Be Continued…


	7. The Colorless, Celestial Clairvoyant Kim

            There was an intake of breath from behind Dementor. "Ron Stoppable?!", she exclaimed, not bothering to use her fake "Kim" voice. "What're _you_ doing here?!"

            "Well, Dementor?", Ron asked harshly. "Where is she?"

            "Where's who?", Dementor asked.

            "You know who I'm talking about, Dementor", Ron growled. "Kim."

            "Now why should I give her up to you, Ronald?", Dementor asked with mock-concern.

            "I did what you asked, Dementor", Ron replied. "I brought Ratigan here. I showed him the way here. What else do I need to do?!"

            "Now, now", Dementor chided. "I still need to show Ratigan who has defeated him." Turning, he left the room, followed by a curious Kigo-Lynn and a disgruntled Ron Stoppable.

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            Shego carefully depressed the sea green button, watchful for any hidden "surprises" that Dementor might have in store for thieves. There were none, strangely enough. Perhaps Dementor didn't realize anyone could get this far, or that the keycard lock would've been enough.

            The room was dark, except for the light produced by a single machine, labeled "Spiritron". "Odd", Shego mused out loud as she turned, and got the fright of her life. There, lying on a gurney, was Kim Possible, in the same outfit as she had been in the suspended animation chamber. However, there was something strange and terrifying about her. Her entire person was as pale as a ghost, even her clothes. As she watched, astounded and not a little frightened, the ghost of Kim lifted its head, opened its eyes a bit, and saw her.

            "Shego…", it whispered in a low voice that Shego recognized as Kim's.

            "What?", she asked anxiously, bending over so she could listen to her better.

            "Shego… You have to find Ratigan and warn him… warn him of the trap…"

            "**_Trap_**?!", Shego exclaimed.

            "He's the only one… who can reunite me with my body…" She trailed off, her head settling back onto the table.

            Shego backed up, then dashed out of the room. She stopped short in the other room, then picked Kim's body up out of the suspended animation chamber, then carried her out of the room.

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            Ratigan tossed and turned in his bed, haunted by what he had seen. Basil, who had decided they were going to have to escape, entered the room. "Ratigan", he whispered, trying to be discreet. Nothing. He crept nearer to the bed, and nudged Ratigan on the shoulder. "Ratigan?"

            Ratigan sat up straight in bed, then turned to Basil, a glare on his face. "Explain to me, Basil", he growled, "why you decided to interrupt my sleep?"

            "We're going to escape", Basil stated calmly.

            "Oh", Ratigan said. "Are the others ready?"

            "Most of them", Basil reported. "Shego's still gone, and I have no clue where Ron is."

            Ratigan's glare turned into a concerned frown. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            As the storm started to pour, this is how it stood. The group started down the staircase towards the door, while Shego, carrying Kim's motionless, almost lifeless body, pelted down the corridors. Dementor, Kigo-Lynn, and Ron hurried after the group to stop them from escaping altogether.

            Ratigan was just inches from the door, when something powerful knocked him to the ground.

            "**_DAD_**!!!", Veeken cried, and all turned to the staircase, where Dementor was standing next to the Kim clone, who was wearing a outfit like Shego's, only the colors were like a mix 'n match of colors from Kim's, Shego's, and Adrenna Lynn's attire. But the person they saw at the top of the staircase shocked them. It was Ron.

            "Okay, you have what you want, now give back Kim", he said, holding out a hand.

            But Dementor merely pulled out a remote control and pointed it at Ron. The next thing he knew, Ron was trapped like the rest of them.

            rons_gurl's jaw dropped. "I don't believe it." Basil glared at Ron. Meanwhile, Shego, watching from around the corner, could only wonder how Ratigan was going to get themselves out of _this_ mess…

            A preview of the next chapter, Kigo-Lynn's Debut:

            Kigo-Lynn placed her hand around Ratigan's throat, and started to choke him into submission. Ratigan struggled, twisting this way and that, and finally biting Kigo-Lynn's wrist, drawing blood. Kigo-Lynn cried out in pain and withdrew from the attack, grasping her wrist, her breath rasping in her chest as she saw the blood.

            Ratigan raised an eyebrow. "That's interesting", he mused out loud. "I actually had her down as some sort of robot."

            To Be Continued…


	8. The Debut of KigoLynn

They were locked in a large cell, much less comfortable than the rooms from before, and tied to poles, their hands bound tight. Ratigan sulked as Dementor conferred with the Kim clone, briefly throwing glares at Ron, who was sitting on a bench. "Ron, I really expected better of you."  
  
"What?!", Ron exclaimed in disbelief.  
  
"Why'd you do it?", Ratigan asked angrily.  
  
Ron sighed and bowed his head. Time to face the storm. "Well, you see, when I came across this lair, it turned out Kim really was alive, but Dementor had her in some kind of suspended animation chamber… thingy. I was going to get her out, but Dementor caught me."  
  
Ratigan's eyes narrowed at the thought, and he shook his head in disgust. "So you made a pact with Dementor", he said sarcastically. "Hand me over to Dementor, and Kim goes as free as a bird."  
  
"I'm sorry, alright?!", Ron squeaked. "Listen, Kim's one of the few friends I have, and as her sidekick, it's up to me to help her if she gets in trouble." He sighed, bowing his head. "Listen", he muttered, "I get it if you don't want to speak to me anymore, seeing as how I just placed us all into life-threatening danger, but at least understand that I wouldn't have done it under any other circumstances."  
  
"I guess so..." Ratigan bowed his head, sighing. They needed a plan to escape now more than ever. Sighing, he started to wish he'd never reverted the naked mole rat Ron back to his human form. He sighed, then looked up, an idea sparking in his brain. "Hey, Ron" he whispered conspiritorily, "I've got a plan."  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Dementor walked towards the prisoners. "Now, Ratigan", Dementor said, smirking, "Are you going to give us a demonstration of your powers or what?"  
  
"What part of 'When hell freezes over' don't you get?!", Ratigan snapped in reply.  
  
"Wait", Ron interjected, suddenly.  
  
"What do you want?", Dementor asked angrily.  
  
"Look, I know you hate the others, but why me? I didn't want any of this!"  
  
"So you want to be set free?", Dementor asked, interested.  
  
"What do you think I'm saying?", Ron asked, sarcastically.  
  
"_Let's hope Dementor falls for the ruse_", Ratigan thought. "_Otherwise we're in big trouble_."  
  
"Very well", Dementor said, pulling out the remote control again. One push of the button, and Ron was a naked mole rat again.  
  
"Thank you", naked mole rat Ron squeaked, bowing slightly to Dementor, then scurrying past, out the doorway and out of the main room.  
  
"You double-crosser!", Ratigan shouted after the retreating Ron, secretly hoping that Dementor actually thought he was mad at Ron. "You cheap little smeghead. You'd better hope I don't escape, because I get my hands on you, I'm gonna-"  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Three minutes of curses directed towards Ron later (AN: That I'm not going to print because I don't want to go above the PG rating), Dementor asked "Are you quite done, Ratigan?"  
  
"Yes", Ratigan said, scowling, "I am."  
  
"Well, then", Dementor said, smiling evilly. "If you don't mind, we'll take your lovely daughter outside."  
  
He snapped his fingers, and the Kim clone grabbed Veeken, untying her and roughly dragging her into the main room, where Dementor had set up a hot poker in the circular fireplace in the center of the floor, surrounded by stone gargoyles. A goon led Ratigan to the doorway. "Now, then", he continued, "A demonstration of your powers, or this-" He pulled out the poker, holding it close to Veeken's face. "-against this."  
  
Ratigan groaned, choking back a fitful sob. "Don't tell him!", Veeken shouted. "You know what Dementor's promises are worth!"  
  
Dementor grinned maliciously. "Do you wish to risk her life, Ratigan?"  
  
Meanwhile, Basil looked on, frowning, and seething with hate at Ron's "betrayal". Suddenly, something scampered onto his shoulder. "Basil" a voice whispered, "It's me. Ron."  
  
"Ron?", Basil asked in surprise. "I thought you-."  
  
"Ran off?", Ron asked. "You _actually_ thought I was going to play chicken?"  
  
"Well", Basil replied calmly, "What else was I supposed to think?"  
  
"Don't worry, I've got a plan", he said, nodding towards the unguarded chair. He scurried down towards Basil's bound hands, chewing through the ropes. Basil quickly ran over to the chair, picked it up, and slammed it into the goon's head, knocking him unconscious.  
  
His hands free, Ratigan lunged at the Kim clone, causing her to let go of Veeken. The two fighters tumbled, before the Kim clone threw Ratigan against the wall with surprising strength.  
  
Ratigan had only a second to figure out what happened before the Kim clone placed her hand around Ratigan's throat, and started to choke him into submission. Ratigan struggled, twisting this way and that, and finally biting Kigo-Lynn's wrist, drawing blood. Kigo-Lynn cried out in pain and withdrew from the attack, grasping her wrist, her breath rasping in her chest as she saw the blood.  
  
Ratigan raised an eyebrow. "That's interesting", he mused out loud. "I actually had her down as some sort of robot."  
  
"Well", the Kim clone said finally, in a voice that wasn't just Kim's. It was a mix of Kim's, Shego's, and Adrenna-Lynn's, all rolled into one. "Well", she said again, "My secret's out."  
  
Then, in the blink of an eye, the Kim clone changed. She looked more like Shego now, only it looked like someone dyed one part of her hair the same shade of orange as Kim's hair, and another part the same shade of blonde as Adrenna Lynn's hair. One eyebrow was the blonde color, the other orange. Ratigan stared at the hodge-podge Shego for a moment, then said "Well, _this_ I didn't expect."  
  
"Ah, Professor", Dementor said, smiling his wickedest smile. "Allow me to introduce my assistant, as it were. This", he said, gesturing to the pseudo-Shego, "is Kigo-Lynn."  
  
Kigo-Lynn charged again, aiming a punch to Ratigan's chest, but Ratigan caught the punch, shoving her arm aside, then flipping her over his head, into the wall. Kigo-Lynn was about to charge, when held up a hand, meaning "Stop."  
  
"What is it, Ratigan?", Kigo-Lynn asked in a taunting voice. "Too scared to fight?"  
  
"No", Ratigan sighed, "I'm not scared. There is only one way to settle this."  
  
"And what is this way, Obi-Wan Kenobi?", Kigo-Lynn asked mockingly.  
  
"A duel", Ratigan stated, "A duel to the death."  
  
Kigo-Lynn's eye's narrowed, and she crossed her hands over her chest. "Very well", she said firmly, "A duel to the death."  
  
To Be Continued... 


	9. The Death of KigoLynn

            Fights like these were rare between creatures of such great power. Usually, they ended when one recognized the superiority of the other. Clear-cut cases of murder, like Scar killing Mufasa, were even rarer, but abhorred more often than the battles.

            The battle was to take place in Dementor's courtyard, where the clouds were closing in, signifying more than just new rains. Ratigan and Kigo-Lynn were sitting in ornate wooden chairs, opposite each other. There was a moment of silence. Nothing was heard, except the wind in the air, the breathing of the competitors and the spectators.

            Suddenly, Kigo-Lynn made a small gesture, and a hatchet flew towards Ratigan! But Ratigan moved his left hand in a circle, and a small, pinkish circle appeared where his hand was, blocking the hatchet. Kigo-Lynn did it again, but Ratigan retaliated in the same manner. Kigo-Lynn did it a third time, this time producing an ax, but Ratigan created a larger shield with both his hands, blocking the ax, then gently blowing them away into nothingness.

            Kigo-Lynn then put her left hand down by the left hand side of the chair. The next moment, she was holding a plasma-gloved over a cannon fuse, which was connected to a homoncular cannon (Author's note: Well, what were you expecting?) She lowered the plasma flame to the cannon fuse, setting it aflame. The next moment, a cannon ball flew towards Ratigan.

            However, Ratigan was not fazed in the slightest. Another miniscule hand gesture, and the cannon discharge changed his course, turning around to hover back over Kigo-Lynn's head. The next moment, it exploded into a display of confetti.

            Kigo-Lynn decided it was time to change her attack strategy. Ratigan almost did a double take. Kigo-Lynn had changed herself into a replica of Kim, only the eyes were slightly still and unnerving. Ratigan was apparently surprised, and definitely shocked.

            And that's when Kigo-Lynn took the moment to hurl a spear into Ratigan's unguarded stomach, causing him to involuntarily bow his head, apparently dead. A gasp rang out from his supporters, and an evil snicker emanated from Dementor. Kigo-Lynn only smiled, but it faded a little. "_That was eas._", she thought as she approached Ratigan's body. But when she pulled aside a bit of the suit where the spear had gone in, a bit of sawdust spilled out. **_She had been tricked!_** "**_Too_**_ easy._"

            The next thing she knew, something hard landed on her head, turning into something wet and gooey. Kigo-Lynn literally had egg on her face. She looked upwards, and saw Ratigan perched on the chandelier on the ceiling smiling, waving, . . . and dropping another egg onto her actual face, since she was looking up in his direction this time. Glaring angrily at Ratigan, she brought her hand down, magically bringing down the chandelier, Ratigan, and quite a bit of the ceiling as well.

            Walking towards Ratigan, she opened a bit of the suit around his chest. Small, yellow birds started escaping from the void. "_Well, that explains the eggs . . ._", Kigo-Lynn mused to herself.

            "Looking for somebody?", an all-too-familiar chillingly masculine voice asked from behind her. She turned around to see Ratigan, sitting in the chair she had previously occupied. Grudgingly, she dumped the sawdust-filled dummy of Ratigan out of the chair, causing it to vanish when it hit the ground.

            Kigo-Lynn was officially tweaked now. All of a sudden, she started throwing fireballs at Ratigan like it was going out of style. Before she knew it, more of the ceiling was being taken down, bit by bit. She directed the fireballs to the ceiling above Ratigan's head, causing more and more rubble to pour down. But, then, she did a double take. Ratigan had an umbrella, and it was somehow protecting him from the roof rubble. "_Lead-lined, in all probability_", She thought. She raised her hands, and sent the whole of the ceiling above the duelists crashing down on top of them.

            "Dad!", Veeken cried.

            "Ouch", Drakken said, wincing.

            "This is an interesting development . . ."

            All was silent for a minute as the spectators watched for signs of life from either one of the competitors. Suddenly, the rubble started to slide away, and both Ratigan and Kigo-Lynn rose from the rubble, somewhat injured, but still standing.

            "It appears that no one is the winner.", Ratigan spoke to his opponent as the rain started to decant in from outside.

            "Only temporarily . . .", Kigo-Lynn replied, her voice barely above growling level.

            Just then, Kigo-Lynn started growing taller in height, hunching over as she grew. Her once calm, sanguine face grew forward into a elongated snout, canines sprouting from her gums. Fur sprouted from her arms until they were covered, and Ratigan was sure that he saw a tail poking out from behind her. Kigo-Lynn had finally transformed from a human to a purebred monster.

            "_This_ complicates things," Veeken commented. Just then, Kigo-Lynn the werewolf threw back her head and howled at the sky. "Okay, this **_really_** complicates things!!!", Veeken reiterated.

            "This ends, fool!", Kigo-Lynn snarled. "Right here, right now!"

            Ratigan glared at his opponent for a moment, then said disdainfully,"_ So be it_."

            The two opponents circled each other, moving slowly, each watching the other's movements. This continued until they were in the positions the other had started in.

            Suddenly, in a blur of movement, both opponents charged at the same moment. Like two gigantic boulders set on opposite mountaintops and toppled by an earthquake, which roll down their respective mountains, gathering speed, until they crash into each other so hard they disintegrate into powder, the two collided.

            But instead of disintegrating, both fell aside, and Ratigan got up first in a easy leap, going for the vulnerable part of Kigo-Lynn's neck. Kigo-Lynn sensed the danger, and like a bear shaking himself off after a long swim, sending water flying everywhere, she shook off Ratigan just as easily. Then she hurled himself at him while he was still trying to rise. Drops of blood were flying through the air; One landed on Veeken, and she clutched it to her as if she could give him strength.

            And so the fight continued, but it seemed that Ratigan was worse off. He was bleeding freely from a cut at his chest and his left arm appeared to be useless. Kigo-Lynn landed a hard blow against Ratigan, sending him sprawling on the ground.

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            "_Oh, God.",_ Ratigan thought. _"This is it. I'm going to die._"

            Suddenly, a pair of emerald green eyes came into his semi-blurred vision. "_Emerald green?_", he mused. "_I must be dying. Kim's here to-_", he stopped in mid-thought. "Kim?", he asked out loud.

            "Ratigan, it's me.", a musical voice replied.

            His vision cleared up a little further. Kimberly Anne Possible, a person he had thought to be dead for several weeks, was standing over him, looking into his eyes. But her outline was faded, as if he was looking at her through a frosted window. "Kim? You're alive? But-but how can that be?", he asked.

            "It doesn't matter. I'm here for you.", she replied. "Listen, if you don't get up, we're all going to die.

            Kim was alive . . . She was still alive . . . But she had been used; She had been used to use him, to play into his mind, his feelings, his thoughts .. . . **_Dementor would pay for this_**.

            And so he got back up slowly, and started towards Kigo-Lynn, this false impersonation of Kim, and the battle continued.

            ~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            Kigo-Lynn started jeering at him, calling broken-hand, whimpering cub, rust-eaten, soon-to-die, and other names, all while landing blows Ratigan had to duck under instead of blocking them. However, there was something that no one except Basil and Veeken could see was happening. It certainly wasn't seen by Kigo-Lynn.

Because Ratigan was only moving backwards to find ground that hadn't been cluttered with rubble or eroded into mud by the rain, and the left arm was really fresh and strong. Animals couldn't be tricked, unlike humans, but Kigo-Lynn was still more human than animal, and Ratigan was tricking Kigo-Lynn. At last, Ratigan had found a spot that was still dry because it was sheltered by an area that hadn't broken away from the ceiling.

It came when Kigo-Lynn reared above, bellowing his triumph and turning her head tauntingly toward Ratigan's supposed weak left side. This was when Ratigan struck. Like a wave that was building its strength over a thousand miles of sea, making little movement out in the open, but upon reaching shore, it was a terrifying monster to all who saw it. That's how Ratigan struck Kigo-Lynn's unguarded jaw, claws and all.

            It all happened so suddenly, that it took several viewings of the video from one of the surviving security cameras for them to believe it had happened. In one second, Ratigan reared up, the glove on his left hand (surprisingly still intact, despite the fight) glowing crimson red, his claws that had wounded Basil so grievously so long ago, now unsheathed, and Kigo-Lynn's jaw, which she had so foolishly left unguarded.

            It was a terrible blow. It tore her jaw clean off, scattering blood as it landed several yards away. Kigo-Lynn backed off, instinctively reaching up to feel for the jaw that wasn't there. Her red tongue rolled down, useless. She was suddenly voiceless, biteless, but not punchless. This is when Ratigan attacked again.

            The two charged each other, both landing heavy blows, before Ratigan's razor-like teeth managed to find a purchase on Kigo-Lynn's unprotected throat. The two wrestled this way and that, spraying mud everywhere. Kigo-Lynn tried to escape, but her fate was sealed. Ratigan would not let go, not even for a second. Kigo-Lynn needed to be destroyed. 

            Eventually, Ratigan tossed Kigo-Lynn as far as he could throw her, but Kigo-Lynn came charging back. Ratigan met the attack with the same brute force, and they continued to wrestle, Ratigan regaining said purchase on Kigo-Lynn's throat. Thrashing this way and that, Kigo-Lynn once again resumed her ill-fated attempts, but it was too late. Then, Ratigan ripped upward and outward, pushing Kigo-Lynn away from him and severing the agonizing connection. Kigo-Lynn reeled back, and looked like she was about to attack again, when she reached for her throat, which now had a decent-sized chunk torn out.

            Kigo-Lynn sank to the floor, eyes wide with shock. Ratigan walked up to her. He had already spat out the flesh from Kigo-Lynn's throat, and stared down at her. All of a sudden, Kigo-Lynn appeared to speak. Not from her mouth, long since useless, but from Kigo-Lynn herself. "I have failed, Professor Dementor."

            Ratigan turned towards Dementor, now in the grasp of Basil, who clearly wasn't letting go. Turning back to Kigo-Lynn, he noticed a strange device on her belt. It was a miniature television, linked to all the security cameras in the building. Sifting through the various cameras, Ratigan searched until he found what he was looking for, the almost empty chamber that Shego described, where, in the center, was the cause of all this chaos. Kim.

            To Be Continued…


	10. The Return of Kim Possible

Ratigan stalked through the halls, looking for the door Shego told him about. He carried Kim on his back, her arms over his shoulders. "Where was it?", he thought.  
  
Suddenly, a light breeze rose up, flitting Ratigan's cape covered in mud and stained with Kigo-Lynn's blood. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone dash past. Someone all too familiar. He followed the figure around the corner, and there it was. The door was open as Shego had left it, and the goon, who had recovered from being knocked out, ran at the sight of him.  
  
He walked past the suspended animation chamber, and walked into the room lit with the strange ocean blue light. There was Kim, exactly how he saw her in his fight with Kigo-Lynn. Aligning Kim's inert form with the Kim-specter, he lowered the body onto the gurney. "Come on", Ratigan muttered as the two forms merged, "Let it work, let it work, let it work..."  
  
Slowly, Kim's eyes fluttered open. "Ratigan?", she asked groggily.  
  
"Kim?", Ratigan asked hopefully in reply.  
  
Slowly, Kim sat up. "Did it work?", she asked.  
  
"Apparently", Ratigan mused as Kim tried to stand up. She stumbled, and Ratigan instinctively caught her, setting her back onto the gurney.  
  
"Maybe I'd better sit for a minute", Kim said, sheepishly, "before I try standing again."  
  
"Good idea", Ratigan said, smiling affectionately.  
  
There was a moment of embarrassed silence before Kim asked "Ratigan… How long, exactly, was I gone?"  
  
Ratigan stared down at his feet. "Several weeks", he admitted finally.  
  
"Huh", Kim said, unfazed by this revelation. "I suppose Bonnie did cartwheels at my 'funeral'."  
  
"Actually", Ratigan admitted, "Bonnie cried the loudest there."  
  
"Really?", Kim asked, truly interested.  
  
Another moment of silence. Ratigan sighed. "Should we find the others?", he asked. "They must have contacted GJ by now."  
  
"All right", Kim replied. She tentatively set a foot on the ground, then slowly stood up. Together they walked back towards the main hall.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Shego leaned back against the wall, filing her nails. "Does anyone aside from me think Ratigan should've been back by now?"  
  
"True", Basil said, frowning. "Those instructions you gave him weren't exactly the world's hardest equations."  
  
"Don't worry", Veeken said reassuringly. "I know Ratigan, and he'll be back."  
  
"And true to my word", Ratigan called from the doorway, "Here I am."  
  
Standing next to Ratigan was Kim. "So, Kimmy", Shego said, regaining her usual tone of dissent, "How was your out-of-body experience?"  
  
"Ratigan, are you going to change me back now?", Ron asked hopefully. Ratigan just walked past, ignoring him. "Uh, Ratigan? Ratigan?"  
  
"Hey", Kim said suddenly, "Where's Dementor?" Shego shrugged, but Drakken pointed, shouting "There he is!"  
  
Dementor was trying (and failing) to discreetly get to the door, open it, and escape.out the door. But before he could get there, a black blur leapt into the air, landing in front of him, cutting off the escape route. "And where are you going, Dementor?", Ratigan asked, pointing a flaming claw at the criminal.  
  
"Well" a familiar female voice called from the doorway, a voice that wasn't Shego, Kim, _or_ Veeken, "If it isn't my favorite reprobate back from the dead." Dr. Director was standing in the doorway, her hands at her side and a triumphant smile on her face.  
  
Dementor chuckled nervously. "Ah... hi... Dr. Director..."  
  
To Be Continued... 


End file.
